Onze laatste liverecensie.
Onze laatste albumrecensie.
Ons laatste interview.
Onze laatste video.
Neil Young and Sloan, two good reasons to change your name to Proudly
Canadian. Seriously, why did you pick the name Secretly Canadian?
"No one knows how the name came about. For a while we were saying that it's
my mother's maiden name...but that made people angry. Now, I think they
name came about purely to confuse people...we are not Canadian."
You are flying to Aruba, sitting next to a woman who's about sixty year old.
She asks you what you do for a living. Your reply would be:
"Doing what I do, I don't think I would ever be able to afford a trip to
Aruba. If I were on a plane to Aruba...I'd probably be involved with some
international drug cartel. If I were on a plane to Cleveland and I were in
the same situation, I'd simply say that I own and operate a record label."
She's also deaf. She asks you to describe the Secretly Canadian sound.
"The sound of one hand clapping."
Then she exclaims she has 45 grandchildren and they loooooove indie-rock and
can she please have some free records, you tell her to take a hike.
Seriously, what are your influences? Are there any labels that inspire(d)
you to start up a label?
"Back when I was young and stupid, I realized that many records I liked came
from the same label. I soon became enamored with these labels. Drag City,
Trance Syndicate, Emporer Jones. I really like the Warner Brothers Archive
series lately. Now that I'm old and stupid I still try to live up to the
standards these labels have set."
Labels like 4AD have a very distinct image. How important is image for you?
"As long as people don't think we're a bunch of jerks...that's all I care about."
Normally people start bands. You started a label trying to convince people
to buy the latest Swearing At Motorists record. Why didn't you pick up a
guitar and try to cover Mud songs in the local pub?
"Been there, done that. I still play somewhat. I've recorded and toured
with Songs: Ohia, and other bands that are not as notable. I gave up on my
fantasy of being a rock n roll star a while ago, but I always knew that I
wanted to be involved with music somehow."
How was it like releasing your first record? Which band did you pick? How
did you fund it? Did you make any profit? In short: tell us everything about
that *first time*? We like dirty stories by the way. Hint hint.
"June Panic's album "Glory Hole" was our first release. The money came
directly from my pocket as well as the pockets of Chris Swanson and Ben
Swanson. We have yet to make any profit from that record. Wow, we knew
absolutely nothing about releasing records, we just knew we wanted to do it."
Was it a hobby that turned into a boring 9to5 job with a tiny desk covered
with sticky Mars bars and a Hello Kitty cup of lukewarm coffee?
"We've been around for 4 years. For the first 3 and half years I was
working a 40 hour a week job. So for a long time...at least in my mind is
was a "Super Hobby". It eventually squeezed out my real job."
What's a regular day like at the office? Skip the boring stuff, we want to
know what kind of drugs you take and if you have sleazy pictures of Alanis
M. in yer toilet. She's Canadian, we're sure you dig her... uh... muzak.
"First half of the day is pretty much orgies and donuts. The second half is
cleaning up after the first."
Would you recommend your friends to start a label?
"If my friend really likes a band and that band is not getting the attention
that is deserved, then yes...unless it's a ska band."
What are the downsides of running a label?
"Groupies go for the bands not for the label people."
Apart from those kinky websites (Groupie Central! PopBitch!), what other
benefits are there to the internet? Does it make life easier for you?
"The internet is great for researching magazines, radio stations, etc....as
well as the quick porn fix throughout the day."
Personally I don't see Napster as being that harmful. They might as well
freak out over the gazillion teenagers who tape CDs which they borrowed from
friends. What's your opinion on illegal downloading of music?
"When I am interested in the band, I like to listen to the music as well as
absorb the packaging that it came in, because all of that is a reflection
of the artist and was chosen for a reason. Downloading music seems to be
so impersonal. That's the kind of person that I hope we are reaching."
Apart from Secretly Canadian, there's also JAGJAGUWAR. What's that all
about?
"SC and JAG are two separate entities that share resources."
Any upcoming releases we should look forward to? I am not talking about that
Daphne & Celeste single, got that already.
"The Danielson Famile. They were on another label and were not very happy
and recently Secretly Canadian re-released their first three albums with a
new full length "Fetch the Compass Kids" coming April 23rd. They have made
quite an impact in the States but have never really had any exposure
abroad. Amazing, out of hand stuff....stay tuned."
» Visit Secretly Canadian incognito
http://www.kindamuzik.net/label/709/secretly-canadian/746/
Meer op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/709
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