In 1999, Stevie Van Zandt founded Renegade Nation to oversee Content creation, Production, Management, Live Events, and Distribution.
RENEGADE RADIO
LITTLE STEVEN’S UNDERGROUND GARAGE
-Little Steven's Underground Garage (Weekly Syndicated Show).
In April of 2002 Steven launches Renegade Radio’s flagship brand “Little Steven’s Underground Garage”, his internationally syndicated terrestrial radio show. Each week he takes audiences on a two hour trip of what was cool in all six decades of Rock and Roll, and also features the best emerging bands worldwide. The show has aired over 890 consecutive weekly episodes and has introduced over 700 new bands. It is broadcast on over 130 stations in more than 200 markets including internationally in Canada, London, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Peru, and Australia, as well as worldwide on the American Forces Network and Voice of America.
“It’s the best Rock and Roll Radio show in the world. Period.” - Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day
“It’s the first thing I listen to in the morning. It always sounds good late at night. One of my favorite things to do is listen to it on the way to band practice because I get inspired.” - Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam
“The coolest DJ in the country. A proud throwback to the late-night hipster jocks of long-gone 1960's and '70s FM Radio.” - MTV
The success of the radio show has allowed Little Steven’s Underground Garage to expand beyond the world of radio into television, live events, albums, satellite radio, and more. At a time when radio was moving towards pre programmed playlists and eliminating DJ's all together, Stevie would go in the opposite direction. In a throwback to the heyday of FM/AM radio he would hire Rock and Roll and Country personalities from various backgrounds as DJ's for the two new channels on the newly formed Sirius satellite to add their own stories and anecdotes to the music.
SIRIUSXM
Little Steven's Underground Garage (24/7 SiriusXM Channel 21)
In 2004 Sirius Satellite Radio recruited Stevie to create it's first original content. He would start the services first 24/7 branded music channels, while continuing to record his syndicated terrestrial show. The first channel was “Little Steven's Underground Garage”. Stylistically the format is a continuation of the syndicated terrestrial show. Spanning multiple genres the music is fully integrated so that listeners hear records from Rock pioneers juxtaposed with records from up and coming bands, and tying it together with artists from the five decades between. He is not an actual DJ on the channel but his stories, Rock and Roll history lessons, and anecdotes are pulled from the syndicated radio show and air over the course of 3 separate hours everyday on SiriusXM.
Outlaw Country (24/7 SiriusXM Channel 60)
The other channel created by Van Zandt was “Outlaw Country,” which has also become one of SiriusXM’s most original and acclaimed channels since launching in the Spring of 2004. As the “country cousin” to the “Underground Garage,” the format spans a wide range of genres, including classic Honky Tonk, Alternative Country, Americana, Southern Rock, Roots Rock, and more, while playing the undisputed heroes of Outlaw Country, like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, alongside emerging artists like Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell and Blackberry Smoke.
RENEGADE CIRCUS
The Underground Garage / Renegade Nation have presented hundreds of live events and like the radio shows they feature Rock and Roll legends, while also showcasing the best up and coming bands and local talent.
LIVE EVENTS:
- Over a hundred “Underground Garage A Go-Go” and "Underground Garage Presents" concerts - the most recent being a partnership with the Hard Rock Cafe Times Square for a series of quarterly concerts that are also live streamed across all Little Steven and Hard Rock social media channels.
- Hard Rock Café. Yankee Stadium, and the New York Yankees for pre game “Underground Garage” concerts at Yankee Stadium before Friday home games featuring up and coming bands from the radio show.
- The continuing Underground Garage series of concerts at The Count Basie Theatre.
- “The Underground Garage International Festival” with over 40 bands co-headlined by Iggy Pop and The Stooges, and The Strokes that Entertainment Weekly called “an awe inspiring event” and the Village Voice named it “Concert Of The Year.”
- “The 500th Show” radio special featuring Green Day, Debbie Harry, and more from the Hard Rock Cafe New York.
- “The Underground Garage Stage” at the Hard Rock Calling Festivals.
- Three national tours featuring over 50 bands including the New York Dolls, The Zombies, The Supersuckers, and more.
- “The Outlaw Country Cruises” sold out 5 day music festival cruises with over 25 bands including artists like Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Blackberry Smoke, The Mavericks and more.
- SXSW showcases.
- “CBGB Forever” rally in Washington Square Park.
- “Teen Vogue’s - Rock Meets the Runway” from the Hard Rock Cafe New York.
- “The Rascals: Once Upon A Dream”, the critically acclaimed theatrical event/reunion concert tour that included a 15 night sold out run on Broadway.
RENEGADE TV
Renegade TV is the Television/Streaming/Video Content arm of Renegade Nation.
Past productions include:
-Lilyhammer, which Stevie starred in, co-wrote, executive produced, provided the music supervision and scoring, directed (the final episode) and was the FIRST original programming for Netflix.
-The MTV Underground Garage National Battle of the Bands,
-VH1 Halloween special, “Cheap Trick or Treat Halloween Ball”, featuring Cheap Trick, Roky Erickson and more.
-First New Years Eve Concert Special on ESPN Co-Hosted by Stevie and Stuart Scott.
RENEGADE BOOKS
The “print” arm of Renegade Nation has created books for various projects the newest being the “Soulfire Songbook” which is a 100 plus page book that shows fans the chords, lyrics, and stage directions to the critically acclaimed “Soulfire Tour”
RENEGADE MANAGEMENT
The “management” arm of Renegade Nation