Ah, record labels. They can be a lot of fun, as somebody who's run one; who doesn't like the thought of putting music you love by musicians you love on a slab of vinyl or a plastic disc or a cassette tape? Of course, there's the flipside, where you learn it's real easy to bankrupt yourself, you discover that dealing with distributors is a ridiculous pain in the ass, you end up with shitloads of loverly vinyl/tapes/whatever nobody (not even your parents) want to buy, and you feel like the work is never-freakin'-ending.

In the end, though, it can still be a very cool thing. Look at John Sears' Grey Ghost label, for instance -- the guy puts out ultra-ultra-limited editions of only stuff he loves, makes a cool product in the process, and does both all without (I'm guessin, anyway) breaking the bank, although I doubt he makes a ton of money. Labels like that are less about the cash flow and more about love of the music & the medium.

I think that's what's driving H-town's newest fledgling tape label, too -- no idea on the name yet, but Ben Murphy, longtime scene fixture and talented-as-heck musician guy, has thrown his hat in the ring. It sounds like he's got some cool stuff in mind (re-releases of long-lost Pop Deflation stuff, perhaps? please?), but the first thing in the pipe is a neat-sounding tribute to Sebadoh.

Heck, I'll let him lay it all out; here goes:

you can blame beau and john sears for this one. unbeknown to either of them they inspired me to start a little cassette only label.

i have fond memories of home recording in the early 90s on cassette 4 track and endless hours carefully crafting mixtapes for friends and girls highschool-me was enamored with. the whole venture is designed for aging 80s/90s indie rockers like myself who want a little of that nostalgia back. i'm also looking at a free download code system similar to what you find on a lot of new vinyl so anyone who purchases a cassette can get a one time digital download of the tracks in mp3 form also. let's face it, while the novalty/nostalgia and general dorky fun of cassettes is appealing you're probably not gunna want to carry you sony walkman around everywhere with you and unless you drive an old toyota pickup like me you probably don't have a tape deck in yr car. with the download you have all the tunes in a handy format to add to your ipod or burn a cd from! and perhaps more importantly, these cassettes (including the free download) will be CHEAP!

well my plan is to start out of the gates with a handful of releases including ancient demos and home recordings by several of your favorite houston musicians. in addition to potential releases by houston indie rockers you know and love one project i really want to do is a sebadoh tribute mix tape.

sebadoh was a hugely influential band for me. listening to weed forestin' was a world shattering experience for me. much like when some folks first heard the ramones, sonic youth or velvet underground, sebadoh completely changed the game for me. all of a sudden i thought "hey, i have a 4 track! if they can do it, so can i!" for me they made music something that i could be a part of. it was no longer this mysterious unattainable thing only rockstars could do. anyone could get a cassette deck and a cheap microphone and make their own recordings.

so in that spirit, i'm looking for tracks of people covering their favorite sebadoh songs. if you have any interest in being a part of something like this feel free to shoot me an email at: "iplayguitarlikearobot" at "gmail dot com"

i'm asking that if at all possible everyone submit two different songs. i'd like to include as many different artists as possible but i will be selecting only one version of any given title. so the more songs you do, the better your chances of not having to compete with someone else for you favorite track.

you can record you songs in any format you like. it does not have to be lo-fi/cassette/4-track. you can record on yr laptop, on 24 track 2" tape, in yr basement, garage or at a professional studio! i don't care how it was recorded, if your version of your favorite sebadoh jam totally rules me i'm putting it on the comp!

again, if you have any questions regarding any detail of the project please shoot me an email at "iplayguitarlikearobot" at "gmail dot com"

Odds are, whatever comes out of this is gonna be good...

Labels: H-Town News, Musical Crap, Public Service Announcements, Record Labels, Things To Do, Things To Hear

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