Out Of The Blue (OOTB) is a small, independent, self-funded publication that was founded in 2001 by two friends at a concert in Columbus, Ohio. Having a high school background in journalism—via the Harding Herald at Marion Harding High School—the duo took a survey at the concert asking fans which of the bands they came t o see. After sitting on the edge of the downstairs pit and compiling the information, Editor-in-Chief Neil Shumate was asked what they would do with the survey results, and he stated: “We’ll probably think of something out of the blue.” Thus, OOTB was born March 2001 at Newport Music Hall with the first issue released April 2001. Shumate has always had a passion for press, media and the arts—he released a newsletter ( 7B ) in seventh grade at Baker Middle School, he also created a family newsletter during his youth. OOTB began as a self-published monthly, black-and-white photocopied zine stapled together and distributed at independent businesses in the t