Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Local Q & A: After Death Records


One of the few joys I've had, and trust me there are very few, in writing about local music over the past few years has been pretty much anything having to do with House Of Tinnitus. Terrific fliers, great band descriptions (Ex: [His] sound will crush you to the ground and you will beg for your fucking shitty life!), and one of the most consistent places to experience noise and related genres minus the detached academic attitude that I've all-too-often experienced at similar places in other cities. It's always more about having a good time than anything else, and a lot of the consistency is owed to proprietor Rob Buttrum's willingness to never compromise his aesthetic approach towards the aforementioned fliers, use of language, and the artists that he books at H.O.T.

It was for these reasons that I was glad to hear that Buttrum was starting up a label with Andrew Haas, a fellow member of his electronic ensemble, Lychgate. The label, After Death Records, will be releasing limited-edition runs on cassette by extreme electronic artists, that in most cases, have played at House Of Tinnitus. Judging by some previews of the cassette packaging, as well as the music contained therein, it's safe to assume that After Death Records will be the best way to own a tangible document of one of the area's most brutal artistic entities.

When did the original idea for the label first come up? Was it immediately decided that it would be a tape label, or did that decision come later?

We first met at Rob's house at a show in the beginning of 2007. We fast became good friends and after hanging out for quite a bit got to talking. Rob wanted to take things to the next level and we both mentioned starting a label. What seemed like a passing comment quickly turned serious when we both knew we wanted to really do it. We figured all the networking through House of Tinnitus could be put to good use and a label was the perfect outlet for it. From the get go we agreed "NO CDRS". CDRs feel cheap and crappy. Tape is a tradition in noise and industrial culture and we felt it was the best format to put out the music we loved. We plan on doing vinyl when we have the resources.


So far, it looks like most of the bands on the upcoming releases have played Tinnitus, with Vestigial Limb being the only exception. Has that made things fairly easy when it comes to communicating with the artists? Are there some people you're interested in doing releases for that haven't played Tinnitus, and if so, who?

Of course House of Tinnitus has opened up various avenues to us. Approaching a friend or acquaintance is easier than approaching a stranger. It's definitely made things more casual. Now that the ball has been rolling since October we've started to get people who have never been to Denton interested in doing releases with us. Definately wanting to work with people from all around the world who will probably NEVER come to Denton. Who, specifically? The possibilities are endless.

What can you tell us about the artists on your first three releases: Goat, Ashes, and Werewolf Jersualem?

Basically, we wanted to put out Texas noise for the first three tapes. We felt there was a lot of stuff going on in Texas that's not getting noticed in the noise scene but definately has merit. Ryan Talley of Ashes has absolutely ripped every time he's come through H.O.T. and we felt he just wasn't getting the exposure he deserves. We plan on releasing one local act in every batch of three tapes we do. It's our love for the local stuff that really got us wanting to start this project. Andy (O'Sullivan) from Goat and Richard Ramirez from Werewolf Jerusalem are both noise artists who have longevity and respect. They have been more than kind and patient with us in doing this first batch as well as being extremely helpful.

The artwork looks very uniform and thematic, same font and layout etc. Do you want to keep the visual theme permanent, or do see it as a possibility that it could change at some point? Do the artists turn in visuals, or do you guys take care of every aspect of the design? What are some of your visual influences?

It could always change, yes. Right now we wanted a uniform aesthetic, something to tie it all together. We like things that stay static but parts are always changing, like the covers. We do all of the artwork and would prefer to keep it that way. It's our visual interpretation of the artists' statement. It also makes the relationship more symbiotic and personal.

Was the overall amount of work more preparing the releases more or less than you thought it would be? What has been the most challenging aspect so far?

Hmm... It's all been a learn as you go process to be honest. What we thought would be done in a couple months has taken much longer.. The second batch will take half the amount of time since we know exactly what to do. There have been so many different aspects we have had to tap into to bring it all together. It's been a lot of work, but of course it's also been a lot of fun.

Are there any labels you feel especially influenced by?

Heavy Psych/Husk Records/905 Tapes have all been labels we've felt put out great releases that come to mind. There are a ton of great DIY labels around that garner respect. The main influence has been the music.

I know that Tinnitus itself has avoided media attention for the most part, but do you feel differently about the label getting attention or is it all the same to you? Has the feeling about the attention been that you just couldn't care less, or that the writers will just get everything wrong? That's certainly an understandable concern.

While we may be associated, After Death Records has been its' own animal. House of Tinnitus hasn't been avoiding the media... If anything, Rob's just being selective.

It's nice to be getting press this early in the stage, but it's not something we take too seriously.


Will these available online or at shows only? Have you made any distribution plans? Do you plan on keeping any at local record stores?

They will be available at shows and online. For the release party the artists' will be selling their copies. Most likely we'll have a spot set up at H.O.T. during future shows. As far as local record stores go we haven't really considered that. Distribution is iffy right now since we're doing such limited releases but working with other small labels/distros is an open possibility.

What was the process for dubbing the tapes? How hard is it to find tape dubbing equipment for large quantities? Where did you look for yours?

Tape duplicators are pretty easy to find for sale because to the mainstream the format is 'outdated.' We have a duplicator that makes 4x copies at 16x the speed so it's pretty simple.

You've stated that you'll primarily focus on extreme electronic music. Can you think of anyone that you would consider breaking that focus for? Or do you feel more like you could release a hundred different volumes before you would even consider messing with the format?

It's always possible we could release something non-electronic, but right now we are content with the format. If we released something else it'd most likely be in the extreme vein. There is a lot of exciting stuff going on right now in the genre.



After Death Records is having their first record release party at House of Tinnitus, this Saturday, February 21. The artists from their first three releases will be performing, along with eight other acts, including Akkolyte, T.E.F., and Snowstorm.

65 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

bar b q analog

3:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

if you hate writing about the local scene so much why don't you stop.
Fucking prick, I lost the rest of the little respect I had for you.

4:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow, tuff crowd.

7:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i still luv u stonedranger

remember that, bby

7:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If there has been a decline in anything on this blog, its the comments. JUST SAYIN' BRAH! kylemaynarddwightbillyray

Anyways, Ashes fucking rules. eat 10 dicks.

9:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is not really related to House of Tinnitus/After Death except in spirit ... but I wanted to make everybody aware of an event that's happening in Ft. Worth next week, at Lola's on Tuesday the 24th ... it's called the No Idea Festival, and it's a Texas-based festival of improvised music that's been around a few years now, making its DFW debut this year, kicking off the 1st of 6 nights across the state and in New Orleans.

The Lola's show will feature three sets of music, each one spotlighting one internationally acclaimed improviser, working solo or duo as well as in combination with a number of Texas improvisers who have been invited to accompany, including members of Yells at Eels and Zanzibar Snails. The touring musicians are Annette Krebs from Berlin (tabletop guitar, mixer, sound sculpting), Jason Kahn from Zurich (electronics, percussion), Chris Cogburn from Austin, the festival's organizer (percussion) and Tatsuya Nakatani of Pennsylvania (percussion) who some of you may remember from last year's Dallas show with Yells at Eels which I've been told was spectacular.

This is a rare event for Ft. Worth and DFW in general, as a lot of times we're skipped over by music of this nature in favor of Austin and Houston, so we just wanted to make everybody aware so you had the chance to come out and support and hear something you've never heard and never will again.

NO IDEA FESTIVAL
Tues. Feb. 24
Lola's Saloon
8pm; $10
www.noideafestival.com

9:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good job guys at hot for doing this! Congrats

9:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ryan talley is the best noise artist around here

10:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

whats with all the plugging all the time broseph?

10:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Dwight, nobody gives a shit," says the guy who comments on this blog several times a day. It's ok that you like us a lot, pal... we'll be your friends!

10:42 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

no idea festival on mardi gras in ft. worth?

10:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

jesus micheal , i hope you paid for that spam space

no idea is gonna be rad

but this saturday is gonna kill some eardrums i once cherished

10:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ryan talley is the sexiest noise artist around here

10:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love ntxshowlist.com

11:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sr, that was'nt me...

11:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

anybody know if there is anyone out there that mixes punk dub n tejano ? i havent heard anyone mix it but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

11:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey 4:30 AM, I actually do enjoy most of the people and music I write about. I respect most of the people who make music that I wouldn't necessarily listen to. It's people like you that make it a fucking drag.

12:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, sorry, the above comment was me.

12:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To 10:42

OK, fine. Let's be friends. Meet ya at Spiral Diner at three and we can discuss just how that might work.

12:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey 12:47, go fuck yourself you piece of shit.

12:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

aw now..

12:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ryan talley killed rascism

1:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this is the most interesting thing written about here in a while

1:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

you guys watch too much television and you're really fucking stupid.

1:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

what band are SR and DL in?

1:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1:16-

you would have to watch enough television just to even know what i'm talking about.

so... are you a hypocrite like ALL the time, or just when you're trying to make a point that isn't valid or quantifiable?

1:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We only had a couple of practices and quit. It didn't work out. And our wonderful guitarist moved away. True story. Satisfied?

1:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

what band dl?

1:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1:22,

that shit is unavoidable. They do a fucking Emmy's recap online every year. Maybe you see commercials for it all the time when you're trying to watch something else: the news for instance.

My point is that you think you're fucking funny, and you think you're fucking clever, and the best you can do is reference a current mainstream television show which makes you lamer than somebody's middle-aged parents that do nothing but watch tv. It's the kind of shit they would say.

You really like "The Office."

The American version.

You're lame.

Fuck you.

1:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

they're in wu fru de lu and the great tyrant

1:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

H.O.T. RULES

1:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It wasn't a band. That's kind of my point, really. Do you actually give a shit what we did one weekend around a year ago? I'm sure you have better things to think about. Other things we did: Went to the Mavericks game. Went record shopping. Hung out. Details later.

1:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

so you're lurking and trolling a site that nobody reads. what does that make you on the totem pole/food chain?

1:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

well, if the totem pole is lodged so very tightly up your ass, then you won't find me anywhere on it.

2:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1:58, do you prefer being Michael Scott or David Brent?

Or are you leaning more towards Gareth?

Either way, you're still a sexless scumbag. It's your call.

2:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

why don't you come find it, you fucking parasite.

2:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is YOUR blog? Well check this out, I'm about to erase all your comments, and will continue to erase any comments that refer to any character on either the british or american office because your shit is so NOT FUNNY that it isn't even worth reading.

2:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

see that, you little pussy? Now the only forum where ANYONE hears anything you have to say is gone. How does that make you feel?

2:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

SR, it's not worth it. He's not worth it. Let him comment himself to death.

2:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, again, we don't mind if people are critical of us or disagree with us or say something snarky or funny or smart or whatever.... but that cocksucker is purposefully trying to sabotage the comments secions and I'm not going to stand for it. It provides less clutter for people who actually want to say something worth reading on here.

2:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

.

2:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

SR, I love to watch you squirm.

2:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Squirm? Nah, I just click the "delete" icon and keep doing what Im doing...

2:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i've had commenter's block lately. sorry. um, daivd corti? no? ok.

3:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

.

3:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hell yea
stonedranger you a badass
fuck all those fags

4:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

slipknot has gone emo. wtf?

4:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

10:58 hell yeah I paid for that ... no cut and paste here so that took a while ... time = currency mayn

PLUS I paid in cred. See, I have no cred left now after making a post about a creative music show on a blog about music under a post about creative music.

it's just crass commercialism, and it's vulgar and rude.

5:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You can copy and paste. Just disable Javascript, paste, then re-enable Javascript.

5:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

haha. fuck i hope I don't end up in the big nasty on saturday.

6:26 PM  
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9:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sloan is gonna chop off random people ears and feed em to a pack of goats

5:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

nah, sloan is going to end up 38, still partying in a college town, in and out of the drunk tank, white trash as always.

9:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sloans not white trash. his party is universal. plus most people running good shit in dfw are already 30 something... sloan will be the one defending your lame ass in court when you get a DWI in north lake. hes allot further than i am and most likely you. i wish i was an attorney.

12:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i wanna see some receipts documenting the time and effort this supposedly cost you, cause we gotta tax you somehow still. plus you can copy and paste into the name section, i thought everyone knew that.

12:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

btw is a great site for downloading

12:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh kyle!

3:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

zanzibar is always trying to sell their genius sort of like mcdonalds marketing a new hip fresh organic shit salad

talking about yourself gets old fast

5:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ii

1:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i hoping somebody sees this story and come clean how it happened about how it happened

1:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

cmon, a baker's dozen acts in one night? how the hell? and why?

5:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

not that I'm against it. I like it H-O-T.

and those tape covers are wicked!!!

5:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

a bakers dozen is 13 and there are 11 acts playing sat. there have been more than that in one night at H.O.T. in the past.. its no big deal...why not!?

11:26 PM  
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12:22 PM  

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