Band Management: Blog 45: Slow Songs

I am managing “Band A” for one year – as an exploration of the underground music industry – and now I’m also promoting The Styrofoam Turtles single “Pipe.” A couple of weeks ago I started to look into the underground music publications that reviewed our friends Crooked Ghost – like Big Takeover Magazine and New Noise Magazine – and I sent out “Band A” to their review sections. And they responded positively. We’ll see. I’m ready for a second round of sending “Pipe” to college and indie radio stations. College radio stations are into listening and playing new stuff because it’s a bunch of new kids who join the station each year. This also means kids graduate each year – so I’ve got to refresh my email list. I have that hunger of a Wall Street trader, a used call salesperson, a scammer on a Christian dating website, and I won’t take “no” for an answer. “Pipe” is a great song! And “Band A” are entertaining to me!!!
“Band A” is slowly slouching toward El Rancho Morbido Studios and recording in November. I want them to record a slow, moody, atmospheric, broken, love song. I don’t hear a lot of those in the underground music scene – which makes sense cause we’re all angry and obnoxious and fun and anti-establishment. I like that Kitty Tsunami and The Styrofoam Turtles write love songs. Probably SUSTO and “Havana Vieja” is the closest to this genre, and something we’ve played on the Holy Crap Records podcast. “Band A” is weirdly obsessed with Adalita (Adalita Official) and they have covered a bunch of her songs – and she gets moody and atmospheric. Still, most of “Band A” looks bored when I suggest a slow, moody, love song. My instinct says that an underground band can break-out by creating a great work of heartbreak and beauty.
(Thanks to Scott Sturdy for these photos. You’re the best.)

Ep 74 – Is Angst Really Necessary? Featuring: Nasty Rumours, Nathaniel Riley, Willa Rae and Minor Arcana, the Disposables, Fruit and Flowers

Best of the underground, week of Oct 8, 2019! Over the course of our podcast we discover and reveal the secret of happiness. Phew. Also: the WNC techno-country explosion. Also, fantastic music. (All podcasts are on itunes and spotify. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and, reluctantly and occasionally, Twitter.) We love you artists 💚

Song We Like: Wasting Away by Turnstiles

All the way from the gritty streets of Galway Ireland – the new home to underground garage rock – we have the Turnstiles who are both wasted and wasting away. It’s so interesting to see the global influence of underground music. These boys have been listening to The Chats and Amyl and the Sniffers (who hasn’t) and then created this amazingly catchy and wonderful piece of pop punk.  Featured on our #73 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Song We Like: Ride The Dream by The Burning Peppermints

Psychedelic punks – mixing up bad-ass attitude and driving drums with organs and sweet psyche processed vocals. This is all about the tight drums and guitars and then the vocal explosions. The singer is amazing, fun, funny, dynamic and killing this song. Featured on our #73 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Song We Like: Dear Love by Francie Moon

We’ve been following France Moon for over a year now, and we’ve played her like 4 times on this podcast. World record holder! Now this total legend is on King Pizza Records! Whenever someone asks about the state of the underground music world – I introduce them to Francie Moon. This is a little chilled out version of her sound. Just a beautiful rolling song. The vocal’s are amazing, as always, and they even added some rock flute into this exquisite jam. Featured on our #73 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Song We Like: Runnin’ by Ancient Ethel

I went to the Ancient Ethel album release party on Saturday night.  This song “Runnin” is such a garage rock, blues, bad ass anthem. This is like when P.J. Harvey transformed herself from English punk kid to blues queen. During Ancient Ethel’s live set I was looking around – seeing if everyone was witnessing this band. It was like they’d brought an entire hurricane in a small underground punk club. Featured on our #73 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Song We Like: City of Rain by Hex Girls

You can’t claim that the underground music scene isn’t funky, doesn’t have a nice little cool groove, after listening to “City of Rain” by the Hex Girls. The production on this song is wonderful; it’s all about restraint. The beats, the vocals, the back-up vocals all build up into this storm lashing the City of Rain in your heart. Featured on our #73 podcast at www.hlycrp.com.

Band Management: Blog 44: Godless America Records Vol.6

I am managing “Band A” for one year – and also somehow promoting “Pipe” by The Styrofoam Turtles. Before we get to the next page of this misadventure – I want to talk about mental health. If you’re really trying to do something as an artist you have these ups and downs. I know. Even as the boring band/label manager. Last Monday “Band A” was on WNCW and then played a killer fun show at Static Age-Records – I rode that wave of euphoria for 24 hours and then I could feel myself coming down. These ups-and-downs were so bad in my 20s that I spent my 30s closely monitoring my moods – if I was too down I’d work to pick myself up and if I was too excited I’d slow myself and keep life moving forward on a very even straight road. But I’m not sure this is the answer either – always working to stay steady. Maybe being a older I just watch it and understand it a little better. I’m only writing about this because I know some of my favorite artists/musicians in the underground music scene have this – and it is real and true and I don’t have any answers.
An artist just wants someone to like their art. That’s enough, most days. So, in this context, it was really so nice to get a message on September 30th from Jordan Duttinger from Godless America Records that “Band A” has a song chosen for their mixtape vol.6. (I know Jordan and his label and interviewed them for Holy Crap Records Podcast – but I used a different email so Jordan didn’t know it was me when I submitted “Band A.” Probably. Maybe.) Jordan and Godless America Records are the coolest. I was introduced to them because Tongues of Fire were selected for a mixtape release and then Godless America Records has distributed cassettes for the TOF’s “Everyone Hates Us.” I was totally intimidated by the utter coolness of TOF and Godless America Records, but now “Band A” is on mixtape vol. 6.
Also, here’s a photo of “Band A” from their Static Age Records show – thanks to the amazing photographer Scott Sturdy…

Band Management: Blog 43: Album Release Party!

Holy Crap Records has become a label – and we have released two singles. One from the notorious “Band A” and the other is “Pipe” from The Styrofoam Turtles. (You can check us out over at bandcamp.com at the Holy Crap Records Label page.) And on Thursday night The Styrofoam Turtles had an album release party at The Mothlight with Tongues of Fire and Sane Voids. Gawd – I LOVE the TOF live show. Quality beer drinking, stage diving, and overall rock star moves. Just a great show. A ton of people showed up. Tristen Colby made fun of Holy Crap Records and the fact that he tricked us into being a label – which is perfect. And the single “Pipe” sounded so good – totally catchy and true from the stage.
So what now? What does a label do with some high quality music? And a total grifter who runs the label? Well, on Thursday, I sent off the song to 31 college and indie radio stations – which is where I had surprising success for “Band A.” Belter Radio got back in touch and asked me to upload a mp3, but then they sent a follow up email that said – resend after October 15th – because they were on some kind of hiatus as they move from internet radio to real radio.
And then I decided to research what Asheville bands were having success in terms of publicity? Secret Shame has had great success with their publicist. Crooked Ghost works with Shameless Promotion PR – and so I wrote down all the publications and podcasts and radio stations that Crooked Ghost has been promoted and played. And Melted Magazine did a great Q&A with Kitty Tsunami – and then followed up with a great piece of photo journalism with Eli Raymer. I think Eli is an amazing musician – playing with a ton of great bands, touring all the time, making his own great music as Good Trauma.
Anyway, I’ve made that list of platforms and publications and I will send them “Band A” and The Styrofoam Turtles. Let’s see what happens…