In 2014, Brian Maloney instantly reconnected with his hometown and its musical legacy.

The Sonic Coast founder and chief music curator visited the Motor City to attend a Crain’s Detroit Homecoming and started pondering his next life chapter.

“I was in downtown Detroit for a couple of days with the event, and everywhere I looked, I was reminded of what a remarkable place this city and state are in the music industry,” said Maloney, who spent 40 years working in radio and now resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“The following ‘revelation’ about what to do in retirement happened in February of 2020 when I brought The Gasoline Gypsies down to North Carolina for a couple of shows and a media tour.”

The band sold out two shows 700 miles from Port Huron, Michigan and reminded Maloney about the draw of Michigan-made music.

“It became clear I was going to focus everything I had learned over the past 40 years on my two favorite things: Michigan and local music,” Maloney said. “So when I retired, The Sonic Coast was born.”

Today, Maloney oversees the burgeoning online radio station, which plays Americana, rock, folk, country, roots, soul and funk from national and Michigan artists.

“I saw a tremendous opportunity in the state to play local artists (abundant!) on a meaningful platform to give them exposure next to national acts that were getting limited exposure in Michigan. Unfortunately, traditional commercial radio doesn’t invest in/support local artists much anymore,” he said.

“It’s honestly more important than ever for a band to get played and promoted on a platform. Spotify, Pandora and others are simply a database of music for consumers. Sonic Coast plays, promotes and interacts with the artists.”

To learn more about The Sonic Coast, I chatted with Maloney about becoming a DJ, working in radio, taking leadership roles with several stations, growing his new online radio platform, celebrating Michigan artists and music, adding curators and supporting live music.

Q: How has 2024 been for you so far? What’s been capturing your musical attention lately?

A: 2024 got off to a fast start for myself and The Sonic Coast. Once people came out of the “holiday haze,” things exploded. I’ve been bombarded by a ton of great new music, and I try to give it all a fair listen. I’ve been enjoying the new Hannah Rose Graves album [Medicine] lately and still love Judy Banker’s November 2023 release Bona Fide. I can’t wait to hear new Verzell, The Gasoline Gypsies, The Accidentals and more. 2024 looks like another great year for Michigan music.

Q: How did your musical journey start while growing up in Detroit? What inspired you at age seven to want to play in a band and be heard on the radio? What artists were most influential to you?

A: You couldn’t have picked a better place to grow up than Detroit/Michigan when it came to music. It sucked me in at a very early age. I loved the sound and the vibe of Detroit from an early age. I’d like to CKLW—the personalities and music were so influential. Later it was WABX, WRIF, WLLZ, W4, etc. Unfortunately, I missed the Grande Ballroom days, but I witnessed the explosion what became and is Detroit Rock City! I look back on it and I can’t believe how lucky I was to grow up in that time and in that city. I bought my first album, a Jimi Hendrix [one], at nine years old. It was truly magical.

Q: How did your musical journey lead to a career in radio? What was the first radio station you ever worked for? What initially appealed to you about working as a DJ in radio? 

A: When you’re a kid and somebody tells you they will pay you money (not much!) to play music every day, go to concerts for free, get free records and rock out every day, who wouldn’t want that gig? I enrolled in Specs Howard School at 17 years old (shout-out to Dick Kernen, my Specs Howard and career mentor) and started my first job in Kalamazoo at 18 years old.

I had stops in Jackson/Lansing (WJXQ) and I launched WKQZ in Saginaw in 1986. From there, I traveled and worked at stations in Wyoming, Texas and North Carolina. I currently split my time between North Carolina and Michigan. The last 25 years have been in Raleigh, North Carolina where I was vice president for Capitol Broadcasting Company’s 12-station radio group in Raleigh and Wilmington. While at Capitol, I also worked closely with their television, digital and documentary divisions, so my role evolved over the past 20 years. I retired in March of 2023.

Q: How did that experience bolster your radio career from there? What are some of your favorite memories and experiences from working in radio? Who did you enjoy meeting along the way?

A: My 40-plus-year career was the best. I was able to have the dream job that I envisioned at seven years old. Granted, the past 30 of those years have been much tamer than the first 10.

I have spent 30-plus years in management. While I had the pleasure of working [with] and meeting several big national acts—Elton John, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper and others—my favorite bands were always the local bands. Always. When I retired, I had this idea to take everything I’ve learned over the past 40 years and put it to use by building a platform to support local artists in my home state … and the dream continues.

The crazy part is The Sonic Coast reconnected me with two of my former classmates at Specs Howard: Jane Asher, who does 10 am to 3 pm on The Sonic Coast, and Nancy Schoenheide-Phares, who has been deep in the Michigan music scene for a long time.

Q: What was it like to work in leadership roles at Alchemy Communications, McClatchy Broadcasting Company and Capitol Broadcasting Company? What are some of the major highlights and changes you’ve seen in your radio career over the years?

A: First, I was lucky to work for wonderful station ownership throughout my entire career. Unheard of. Like everything, change is inevitable. Fortunately, for the past 15 years of my career, I have spent with one of the most visionary media companies in the country—Capitol Broadcasting. I gained extensive experience in the digital media space (all aspects), video experience and expanded audio offerings. I was able to be a leader of change and transformation and loved to innovate. We’ve had so many “firsts,” and it was very satisfying.

Q: How does The Sonic Coast continue to function “as a melting pot of music for Michiganders?” What’s special to you about Michigan artists and the music they create?

A: The Sonic Coast’s musical core in Americana, roots and rock, but it seems like that expands weekly. And the local music scene supports a very diverse sound—it’s beautiful. We have rock, pop, funk, soul, Americana and country—it’s quite an eclectic mix—but it all seems to flow well. And I’m still in absolute awe of the AMOUNT of great music coming out of Michigan; very few states can compete with Michigan’s music and artistry output.

Q: How do The Sonic Coast’s curators and contributors, especially Jane Asher, Local Spins’ John Sinkevics, Mark Sandstedt and John Bommarito, help shape the music you play and the artists you feature?

A: Well, all of those individuals, including you, have been critical to the success of The Sonic Coast. I’ve been removed from the Michigan music scene for some time, so those and many others welcomed my ideas and approach and helped me get up and running. Nancy Schoenheide-Phares quickly connected me with some key folks and I was off and running.

John Sinkevics at Local Spins has been incredible and what John is doing to promote music in the state is exceptional. I am genuinely grateful for the collaborative vibe of the music scene and how I’ve been “welcomed home.” So many individuals in the state are insanely passionate about our rich musical history and future—it’s exciting and refreshing.

Q: What’s it been like to add the Michigan Rocks Radio Show with Mark Sandstedt, Acoustic Alternatives with John Bommarito and other new features and programming to the station? What response have you received from listeners and artists about those recent additions?

A: Well, I can see firsthand the impact these contributors have on The Sonic Coast. They are local people who are passionate about local music. We are all working together for the same goal: to promote and give artists additional platforms for exposure. I can’t say it enough, Spotify is a database of millions of songs. The Sonic Coast is a platform built to promote and give meaningful exposure to local artists.

All The Sonic Coast contributors have the same mission in their projects. I’m so grateful to connect with all of them. There’s nothing more gratifying than getting an email from a listener in Louisiana or London about a local artist we played or connecting with my peers at other stations and telling them about songs and artists that are performing well for me and deserve exposure elsewhere.

Q: What’s up next for you and The Sonic Coast this spring? How do you see the station growing in the future?

A: Thanks to Yorg Kerasiotis at Broken Blanket, Elle Lively at Crooked Tree Creative and Jennifer Hudson Prenkert at Sounds of the Zoo, The Sonic Coast was able to get involved in Singers in the Round, a statewide showcase of local artists. That’s been exciting, and again, more collaboration! We’re promoting those showcases for the next few months.

We’ve [also] recently increased the amount of local music we play with other unique features, thanks to Live Nation Michigan for supporting our efforts to [spotlight] and promote local artists. And I want to continue to educate artists on the importance of embracing platforms like The Sonic Coast (and others) to promote their careers.