About

Loud on purpose

Sophisticuffs Media is a Michigan company that helps promote everything around the metal scene, and produces the Amps & Anecdotes podcast.

Michigan has a deep, proud heavy music scene, and a lot of it never gets the attention it deserves. We exist to change that by giving local bands, festivals and the people behind them a bigger stage, and by telling their stories well.

What we do

• Promote the scene

  We shine a light on bands, festivals and events, from household names to the independent acts working the local circuit.

• Tell the stories

  Our podcast, Amps & Anecdotes, sits down with the people who make heavy music happen: musicians, organizers, promoters and fans.

• Connect the community

  We work with event organizers and our Friends of Sophisticuffs Media partners to help the scene find its audience.

Meet Justin

Justin Pelham is a broadcaster and Army National Guard veteran from West Michigan. He earned an associate degree in broadcasting with honors from Muskegon Community College in 2016, where he spoke to the graduating class as a student speaker, then a B.S. in Multimedia Journalism from Grand Valley State University in 2018. Wounded in Iraq in 2006 while serving with the Army National Guard, he built a second career around his voice as a broadcaster. For the past year he has also announced for Powerbelly Barbell lifting competitions. A frequent concert-goer, he loves the metal genre for its diverse sound and atmosphere. He lives in West Michigan.

Work with us

Are you in a band, running a festival, or organizing a show? Want to pitch a story or be a guest on Amps & Anecdotes? We'd love to hear from you.