Meet Jennifer Quirk | Local music promoter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Quirk and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It was right after COVID and it had taken its toll on our local music scene. Along with the fact that several of our venues had been closing for a number of years. I wanted to help breathe some life back into the Erie scene. I presented the idea to my best friend Steve Jacobson, who has actively been a huge part of Erie’s music scene for years. He told me to “go for it!” So with his help and support Mayhem Music Promotions was born.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
One of the things I am most proud of is being a woman who created and is the face of Mayhem. As most, our scene is very male dominated and that alone presented challenges. Those challenges proven to be not so much because we were very much accepted and supported. What ended being out biggest challenge was finding bars and venues open to bringing in original music especially the genres we work with. This is something we are still working at. Along the way we have gotten several new places to feature our music but there are still not enough to accommodate all of the talent we have.

Mayhem has grown over the past several months. What started as just myself and Steve, we have added four more members one being a sound tech to accommodate all of our shows and events. The Mayhem Music Promotions team is:

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man! For this being such a small city you would think that there wasn’t much but it’s quite the opposite. Definitely Presque Isle, it’s beautiful and in the summer months there’s a lot happening there, it’s one of our most valued gems. I would have to take them to eat, have drinks and listen to live original music at Erie’s Voodoo Brewery, one of several local breweries. We would probably also stop by another local bar that supports our music. It’s a little corner bar in the heart of our historic ” Little Italy” neighborhood . Philly on the Rocks is one of our scenes favorite hang outs and has Erie’s best Philly cheese steaks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people that deserve acknowledgement. I know that Mayhem could have never grown or become so successful without the love and support of the entire 814 music scene. This includes every band, every venue, every sound tech, especially Brian Waller of Wild sound. It includes all of the other promoters, most influenced by Jay Durnell aka Dreadman. Of course the entire Mayhem team, Steve Jacobson, Matt Cox, Erica Lynn, Jesse Sheldon, Bobby Proper. These guys are the most talented, amazing and supportive people you’ll ever meet and I am eternally grateful to know them, work with them and love them.

Facebook: Mayhem Music Promotions

Other: We also have a TikTok: Mayhem Music Promotions

Image Credits
N. Miller Photography David Desin Shannon Cilluffo