I posted this on facebook 6 weeks ago but not everyone uses that, or even follows my page on there, so here's the interview I did for GAD! #3.
And away we go...
For the uninitiated, what is Unsane Asylum Records?
It's my dream child, I suppose? I have a huge passion for music, and am a big record nerd, so it was probably inevitable that I would start releasing music by my friends. And by that point I had friends in bands all across the world so it was a very exciting prospect!
What inspired you to start your own label? Can ya tell us about your first release?
Well, the idea started when I was doing x1984x fanzine (circa 2003). Which was basically a bunch of fan sites that I built about some of my favorite bands. And there was some reviews and interviews too. I thought it would be so cool to start a record label someday but never really thought it would happen. Labels like Snuffy Smile in Japan and Rugger Bugger in the UK, who (re)invented DIY ethics, were a huge inspiration to me. Which segues into your next question... UAR officially started in 2006 when I was doing research for my Annalise fansite. I read that there was a live tour EP they had recorded while in Japan. That was never released but there was a box of the CDs sitting in some warehouse in Australia they had never collected. So I asked their singer Ed if I could release it online. He said yes but only if I made some artwork for it. I had never done anything like that before so it was exciting, and a little scary, but I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. If you look at the cover it looks like a Japanese anime schoolgirl but it started as a photo. The best compliment when kids from Japan say "She looks Japanese!". Now the first REAL (hard copy) release was a few years later in 2009. A friend of mine was looking around for a label(s) to release his new record, by Life Giving Waters, and I asked if I could be a part of it since I was making decent money at the time. This was a co-release by three different labels (me, the band, and another label in Finland) and the CDs were pressed in Russia! Of course, they broke up two weeks after I received my copies...
Can ya tell us a little about some of the bands you've worked with?
There's a bunch! I've released band from England, Scotland, Finland, Japan, and it wasn't until 2011 that the first Americans were on UAR. It's 14 bands to date. The real standout of the roster has to be Shatterhand though. Soon as I told them I was doing hardcopy releases they sent me two songs! The first was on a split with Cigarette Crossfire from Finland, almost a year later. And it wasn't until the Nosecone split that the second one finally came out. Those guys are like brothers to me! Anything I ask for they do their best to help. Artwork, mastering, I can't think of a single time they said no. They're always just as excited as me, if not more so, when something new is coming up. Really TOP dudes! We've been friends for close to ten years now and I hope it isn't another ten before we cross paths in whatever country it may be... Band I almost got to work with but it fell through: Tenement, You Me And The Atom Bomb, and Former Cell Mates. Any one of those could have made this label take off...
Is there a UA release of which you are particularly fond?
Tough question! I'd say the one that stands out in my mind the most is the Nosecone Prophets/Shatterhand split. It was by far the most DIY effort that I've ever been involved in and was intimately involved in every aspect of it from start to finish. I was always the one to put the orders together for everything that was pressed in the US but this one was a very concerted effort to make everything as cost effective as possible to try and cope with the current state of things. Calculating out the smallest number of records to press while still making things affordable to people, getting the artwork printed locally, going back and forth with Stuart from Shatterhand for months (who did all of the artwork for every UAR release they're on if not everything they've ever released) trying to hammer out the final design, setting up an indiegogo campaign to help fund it, cutting, folding, numbering and assembling the final product... I really think it's the best looking release on the label.
What kinda work goes into independently releasing music?
Sean Forbes of the legendary Rugger Bugger Discs (and Wat Tyler amongst about 100 other bands) probably put it best. "If you've ever wanted to start your own record label, don't!" And that's coming from someone that started in the 90's when running an independent record label still had a good chance of being profitable when done right. You know, there's the usual stuff like building websites, doing mail orders, setting up the distro at gigs, usually booking gigs comes in too when you're that intimately involved with the scene, designing artwork and flyers, trying to spread the word about your artists as best as possible... It really can be a lot of fun if you're that type of methodical nerd. But incredibly frustrating at the same time. Fighting with venues, crooked promoters, apathetic audiences, band that are only out for themselves... Even the most dedicated person will question why they do it all.
What sort of challenges has Unsane Asylum faced since you've started?
The biggest one, by far, is distribution! I'm surely a little biased but I think everything I've released has been solid and worth a lot more attention than it's gotten. But, seeing as everything on UAR is smaller bands, no label or distros in the States even bother to reply when I ask if they want to carry my releases. Which is a little stuck up if you ask me. Not to say I'm any less guilty of that attitude in the past... For example, how many of your favorite bands started off huge? Not many, if any... You more often than not hear about them from a friend, or compared to a similar band that you like, and it grows from there. I discovered so many amazing bands just from suggestions. Met so many amazing people. Especially after starting a fanzine, and even more just by sticking around for every band at a gig. Just going to see your friends play then leave isn't punk. It's about getting exposed to new ideas, different ways of thinking, new experiences, new places... Not being a more-punk-than-thou elitist clique. Punk not only made me a better person it changed my life. It can be the best family you never imagined. It's more than just fashion or trying to sound exactly like whatever band is really popular at the moment... But, anyway, I've veered off topic! Aside from distribution, and much worse so, is the criminal rate hike that the USPS implemented in February. Virtually killing the prospect of anymore international sales. It now costs $12.50 just to SHIP a CD or 7" overseas. Canada is only a few dollars behind that.
Any upcoming releases you'd like to tell us about?
There's a couple! First is The Victory Lap Kids EP that's technically been ready for around six months! But I still haven't finished the art for it. (Procrastination is an artform in and of itself!) And there's the Nosecone Prophets full length that we've been saying is coming out soon for about a year now. Most of the songs are recorded and Justin tells me they're recording more soon. Then it just needs mastering and artwork. I really want to get both of those out by the end of the year.
What's the best way for us to get a hold of Unsane Asylum records and CDs?
Most everything is available in distros in the UK, Japan, and Canada. But if you're in the States the only reliable way is to order direct from me. Either via my webstore or eBay. Unless you happen to run into me at a show? I still drag the distro out sometimes... Almost everything is downloadable on my bandcamp too.
Thanks for taking the time to do this with us!
- Adam
