Jim Santo is the managing editor of BigTakeover.com.

Jim began writing independent music reviews in 1988 for free monthly The Musicians’ Exchange in New York, authoring the “Independents’ Day” column under the pen name Andy Glass. In 1989, under his real name, he started the monthly “Demorandum” column in Alternative Press, continuing until 1997. In 1994, “Demo Universe” was born online as Jim became the first content provider to the alternative-music bulletin board Sonicnet. The following year saw the launch of DemoUniverse.com, one of the first web sites devoted to covering independent and unsigned musicians. Demo Universe was active until December 2007; it was revived in March 2016 as a showcase for Jim’s personal collection of 300+ cassette tapes from his reviewing career.

Jim is also a musician. A guitarist and bassist, he’s been performing and recording for more than 35 years, with groups including Tang S’Dang, Jenifer Convertible, The Behoovers, The Sharp Things, and Wharton Tiers Ensemble. He’s produced recordings by Harley Fine, George Usher, Debby Schwartz and many more, and operated a professional recording studio in Brooklyn for seven years.

Jim lives in Queens, NY, with his wife, Dr. Carole Filangieri; two kids; a dog; two cats; a bearded dragon; and numerous fish.