Yarrr! PR is a music promotions company running out of Detroit, Michigan. Yarrr! PR was founded and is run by Becki Carr, who has been working in the music industry since 2001. I contacted Cap'n Becki about doing this interview to let people know about herself, her company and to inspire other people to do what they love.

How, when and why did you get started in the music business?

Becki: I have been playing music since I was 5, mostly piano and percussion, and continued to play regularly through college in school ensembles, marching band, etc. I've been going to see shows since I was old enough to go alone to all-ages venues, and since then I knew I wanted to either work in music or do nothing. Music is just my life and I'm not happy doing anything else. I temporarily strayed into political activism after I graduated from University of Georgia in 2001, but I quickly found an internship in Athens, GA at an independent promotion company. I supplemented my income by waiting tables until I eventually worked my way up to a full-time position as the publicity department head. From there, it was just a matter of challenging myself by finding the best bands who weren't being heard and doing my best to get the word out about them.

What prompted you to start your own PR company?

Becki: I moved to Detroit in December 2003 to work in-house for a small record label I'd been working with at my old job. I had been wanting to move to a new city for a while, and Detroit just seemed to fit. The label started to have financial issues and had to let all of its employees go. I was in Austin for SXSW trying to figure out my next move while still supporting the bands on the label. I had a couple other job offers and everyone was very helpful in offering ideas, but in my head I was really thinking how I could go it alone and make it work. The idea was to be able to choose the bands I would be promoting without any pressure from bosses. One night while I was there, a friend of a friend introduced me to one of my heroes: Exene Cervenka. I was so overwhelmed that I just started telling Exene everything that was going on, and telling her how much I admired her ability to maintain an artistic career without having to compromise her integrity. She told me that as long as I stuck to my ideals, it was possible for anyone to do the same. I knew then that I had to start my own PR company and do everything in my power to make sure I stayed honest, which is extra hard in an area like publicity… hence the Yarrr! PR tagline: Oxymoronically Honest Publicity.

How did you go about starting your own PR company and what was it like in the beginning? How did you go about getting musicians/bands on your roster?

Becki: The start-up process was actually much easier than I'd imagined – it's the process of maintaining that really gets you. I was lucky enough to have a couple weeks' severance from the label, as well as access to unemployment, plus the label let me keep the laptop I'd been working on. I started an LLC, set up a database, and started contacting everyone I'd met since I was an intern and letting them know about my new business. My first few clients were people I'd worked with in the past, or were referred by people I'd worked with before. They were very gracious in taking a chance hiring a start-up, but thankfully I had enough experience that my media contacts still knew my name. I can't speak for them, but my hope and belief is that my earliest clients hired me because they realize my love for music and my dedication to the job at hand.

Who are some of your favorite musicians/bands that have have worked with in the past and who would you love to work with in the future?

Becki: Oh gosh. I don't want to say it's like choosing your favorite child because I wouldn't know, but it does feel like that…. Let's see…. I loved doing tour press for Jucifer when I was first learning PR. I loved working with Troubled Hubble because they took the real chance – I had never done a full album campaign until they hired me. All the bands on Latest Flame Records have been a pleasure, as well as the folks at Greyday Records. The Amino Acids are an incredible local band I work with. I also loved working with The Hentchmen and SSM, MAN Incorporated… Chase Frank is a great new singer/guitarist I'm working with now… The Dig, Heligoats, boy/girl, all the 307Knox bands, everything PONK Media puts out, The Evil Queens, The Exit Strategy, Chris Letcher, Marla Hansen, Stuporhero, The Masons… Ok, now I'm just running down my client list. I'm sorry – it's very hard for me to separate work with my personal tastes.

Oh…. and I can't leave out Of Montreal as a band I loved working with: they are hilariously fun and some of the nicest people I've ever met.

What drives you most to keep doing what you are doing?

Becki: Oi… well, I really don't think I could do anything else. I have lots of other aspirations: pilot, club owner, rock star, veterinarian, painter, professional skydiver… but when it really comes down to it, I just feel natural doing what I do. I can't lie – there are days I wake up and think “What the f–k am I doing? My friends in the corporate world are making twice as much money as I am and they get to travel to foreign countries!” I really miss the convenience of an employer-provided health plan and cell phone. Any business owner would probably say the same thing, but then they'd also say this: I'm my OWN BOSS and that's totally worth all the stress. I don't have to worry about answering to anyone except my clients, who I'm happy to oblige. And sometimes – ok, often – I can check my email in my pajamas and not worry about the fact that a touring client kept me out at the bar until 3 AM the night before. The ultimate pay-off, though, is to be at a live show watching a band I work with: I'm always impressed, and when I see other people enjoying the music, too, I remember why I do what I do.

Obviously, with a company name like Yarrr! PR, and for anyone who looks at you site, you have an obsession with pirates. What's that all about?

I dressed up as a pirate for Halloween when I was about 4 or 5. I still have pictures of myself and my older brother from that day. I've always loved pirates. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World is my favorite. I heard they were going to change the ride to be more like the movie – is that silly? Change the ride to be more like the movie that was based on the ride?! Anyway, the love came to a head around college graduation, and after the movie came out people started buying me pirate paraphernalia. It just snowballed. I was saying “yarrr!” a lot, and the name of my company just came from that. Now I get pirate stuff from people all the time – the obsession has gone completely out of control at this point. I didn't have a costume on Halloween this year so I just decided to be a pirate again because I knew I had the eye patch and all that… when I looked in my closet I realized I had way too many clothes that could pass as piratical. I guess it's seeped into my subconscious. Kinda scary.

What's in the cards for Yarrr! PR in 2008?

I have a lot of really awesome stuff coming up this year: Head of Femur have a new album coming out in March, and the long-awaited new record from Heligoats is in the works. Chase Frank will be touring – she rocks!! The Exit Strategy out of Buffalo have a new one coming out soon… Oh, and keep an eye out for Sleepy LaBeef's album on PONK Media. Kramer works on all their albums and just does an incredible job. The Amino Acids' new short film/video is up as of January 1 at FatalePictures.com. In addition to all that and more, Yarrr! PR will be at SXSW again this year, throwing a fantastic day party at Flamingo Cantina on March 12 (located on 6th St near Red River in Austin). Check out yarrrpr.com for news and updates.

I'm also working on a revamped website, more services to help bands out with tour support, and much, much more. Last but not least, if you live in the Detroit area, check out hamtramckmusicawards.com

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