#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

 

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 keywords

 

music industry, concert promotion, artist discovery, COVID-19 relief, festival planning, technology in music, grassroots activism, Phoenix venues, artist development, live music music industry, life and death, technology, AI, societal change, live music, community, humility, curiosity, music promoter, rebel lounge, punk rock, small music venue, save our stages, phoenix live music, downtown phoenix, crescent ballroom, the Van Buren, music lovers, Live nation, Arizona music festival, Arizona Live music, The mason Jar, arizona music scene

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