What was the seminal album Drag City released that made you think, “OK, that was a big deal”?
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I remember getting a cassette of the finished Royal Trux Twin Infinitives double record, then driving around with Dan Osborn (my partner in Drag City), playing it in his tape deck. It was a heavy and intimidating listen, after which I remember thinking, “OK, that was a big deal.” Before that we had just pressed a couple seven-inch singles, so a double album was a big undertaking. We made 2,000 copies. A record generally weighs a half pound, and these were double albums. So when the semi rolled up on Erie to drop off the (do the math, kids) 2,000-pound shipment on the stoop of my third-floor walk-up, I had my work cut out for me. Dan O. had a real job, thus was unavailable for this momentous, uh, moment.
Explore the roots of four local labels (and give them a listen): »HoZac’s catalog of rock, garage, and scuzz »Chocolate Industries bridges IDM with hip-hop »Peira packages the abstract »Not Normal Tapes documents the midwest hardcore scene
The minds behind Drag City, Thrill Jockey, and more explain, “This is how I’d run a label”: »Bettina Richards, Thrill Jockey »Matt Clark, Tic Tac Totally Records »Michael Frank, Earwig »Plus, a whole bunch more
We listened to as much as was available, and bought as much to hear as we were able to afford. Then, if we liked something so much we wanted to be a part of it, we wrote a letter to the band (snail mail!) and waited for a reply, if any. By the mid-90s, we were doing this with a fax machine; by the end of the decade, e-mail had become a major player. With the rise of cell phones about ten years ago, we started calling people; then around 2008 we switched to texting. And now, in present-day 2012, we finally summoned up the courage to actually speak to people, face to face. What a(n insular) ride it’s been!
