In 2002 a local band from Muskegon, Four Finger Five, began tearing up the venues on the West Coast of Michigan. I was 22 at this time and already an avid concert goer and music enthusiast in my own right. Having begun travelling to concerts at the age of 16 I already had 300 live shows under my belt and a love for a scene that was giving me love back. After being a fan of the live music experienc
e for so long I started wonder how you become involved with artists and bands on a higher level. I wanted to work with/for the music that had given so much to me. I had already been a street teamer for Umphrey's McGee in my early years but wanted to become more intimately involved with the operation of a touring band. At this time Four Finger Five was beginning to experience an explosion in popularity so I decided to tap them for an opportunity to get involved with managing a band. I knew the drummer Steve Harris well and after seeing the bands 2nd performance ever I knew this was my opportunity. In the beginning I mainly just helped move gear and drive to and from shows. Eventually I learned the skills necessary to manage a band and together with Four Finger Five we successfully achieved a great reputation as one of the Midwest's most powerful acts. Over the course of my 10 year stint with Four Finger Five I assisted the band with every facet of the experience. During their career the band successfully toured the nation and also recorded 3 original full length LP's (their debut album feaured Karl Denson) and one EP. In 2008, 4F5 graced the pages of Billboard magazine as one of the "top 5 up and coming bands breaking rules" after taking the main stage at Rothbury '08 by storm. Again in 2009 4F5 was asked back to the festival and was one of few acts to perform at both Rothbury's. During our time together we even threw a huge sold out party called "Rock The Boat" on the deck of the USS LST-393 2 years in a row! Despite these accomplishments, Four Finger Five increasingly grew apart and in 2012 the band went on hiatus. Following the announcement of the hiatus I wasn't sure exactly how I would continue to fit into the music business. I just knew that after what I had experienced with 4F5 I had to be a part of it somehow. Getting to know artists and the communities that surrounded them on a personal level fascinated me and I looked for any way I could to remain "On The Bus" and involved with the music scene. I began to reach out to the friends I had made during my time with 4F5 for any and all opportunities. In the Summers I found myself travelling to various festivals learning any trade I was afforded the ability to be close to. In the Winters I spent my time as Creative Director for a production company I helped found with my Sister Sarah Sass called, Watermark Live. Watermark Live also ended up serving as the marketing component to the Watermark Center by building a grassroots connection to the community through the unique and affordable events we threw. I was beyond grateful for the friends who acknowledged my willingness to work hard. I started my Summers off working with Ben Slayter of Docufest as a Special Operations operative at Electric Forest '11 and Hoxeyville '11 as well as a merchandise representative for Erin Slayter of The Sweaty Mouse at Electric Forest '11. I again worked with The Sweaty Mouse as well as Rachel Wellls and Seth North of The High Five Program at Electric Forest '12 and '13 to help create and implement the Electrology initiative and assist with the Plug In programs. In 2012 I also assisted The Sweaty Mouse at Gnarnia : The Music Festival with site cleanup. I also assisted TSM and THFP with artist outreach at Founders Fest 2013. The most interesting and rewarding adventure to date came when I assisted Gemini Production Solutions and THFP for 3 weeks at Lockn' festival to help implement The High Five Program and assist with the Waste Management of the festival. My time as Creative Director for Watermark Live began in the fall of ’10 with the creation of a monthly concert series called Inside The MItten which focused on exposing the world to Michigan based artists. The series ran from '10 to ‘13 with about 9 events being produced each year. Throughout the seasons, I was fortunate enough to feature performers such as Paul Hoffman (pHoffman) of Greensky Bluegrass, Dixon's Violin, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, The Crane Wives, Four Finger Five, Rick Chyme, Bob Buchanan, Seth Bernard, and many more wonderful artists. I also produced multiple events tied to various holidays as well as the renowned Party In Your Parka: A celebration of Michigan's Birthday. In December of 2013 I resigned from Watermark Live to pursue more personal endeavors and now I find myself more excited for the future than ever. My first move was to create a podcast called The Gold Coast Radio Podcast. I am a BIG podcast nerd and my love for, and interest in, the medium drove me to throw my hat into the broadcasting ring. I reached out to my friend Jay Miller of Reverb Soul and Mikeal Naramore of Terrestrial media for assistance, learned to build www.lukesass.com, began writing a blog, learned how to record/upload a podcast, and The Gold Coast Radio Podcast was born! I've found immense satisfaction expressing myself through the podcasting medium but my love for producing live events is still strong. So, I've created Gold Coast Entertainment www.goldcoastentertainment.us as an overseeing entity that envelops my podcast, live events, and all future endeavors under one roof. My ultimate vision for Gold Coast Entertainment is to present unique art along the Western Shores of Michigan and beyond. I have hopes of assisting the area to once again be known as an artist’s travel destination. At one time Buster Keaton called Muskegon home for the summer, The Idlewild resort was going strong, and West Michigan was known as the playground of the Midwest. Industry has come and gone since those times and I personally feel we have to opportunity to once again welcome the artists of the world home to the Gold Coast of Michigan.
