Interview w/ Jason Rozen, Owner of DIY label Grinding Tapes Recording Co.

Boston based Grinding Tapes Recording Co.'s website doesn't have a regular, "About" page. Instead they have a, "Manifesto," which reads more like propaganda than the self back-patting promotional bio's that most labels/artists provide. Take a look at the opening sentence, " Grinding Tapes Recording Company was established on a set of fundamental principles, which you will find outlined here."

Another unique aspect of GTRC is that they release almost exclusively cd's and albums in handmade packaging. Many of their releases are also limited edition. In the picture to the left (taken from the GTRC Fan Myspace) it's hard to tell, but the album's artwork is an actual matchbook that say's the title and date of the release. Inside the matchbook is a personalized messege from the artist. (Elijah Wyman.) More info on the release here.

Here's an interview with Grinding Tapes Recording Co.'s eccentric curator Jason Rozen.

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I've noticed that Grinding Tapes Recording Co. releases handmade cd packaging. Why do your prefer to handmake it, (do you?) and who makes it?

We believe that handmade packaging gives each album in a release a sense of uniqueness. When I'm holding a numbered or hand-printed CD jacket with all of its individual idiosyncrasies, I feel like I'm holding a real piece of art rather than a CD cast that is simply utilitarian. There's a real warm human element to our handmade jackets. I like to think that someone who owns one of our albums could recognize their own in a pile of other albums from the same pressing because of the unique flaws that each piece has.

Also, the method of using physical media like vinyl and CDs to distribute music is becoming increasingly threatened by the convenience of both legal and illegal mp3s. We believe that physical media still has a place in music distribution and our handmade artwork is our way of showing that an album can have much more to it than the music.

A small group of people is responsible for making all the handmade Grinding Tapes releases. Generally, two or three of us from Grinding Tapes will get together with the artist over a few consecutive nights to screen print and glue the jackets. It's a blast. We normally just hang out, put on some good music, joke around, and enjoy making art. We generally have a plan when we start assembling the jackets, but oftentimes circumstance forces us to improvise.

To be fair, we only hand-make the packaging for smaller releases of up to 200 copies or so. We need to outsource larger releases to companies like Stumptown Printers ( www.stumptownprinters.com) or VG Kids (www.vgkids.com) because it's simply not practical to complete a project much beyond 200 copies by hand.

Pictured: Jason Rozen at far right w/ friends.

What tools or products do you use in making your packaging? Printing techniques, material sources, and any other helpful hints you have would be greatly appreciated.

One of our artists, Elijah Wyman, introduced us to a really neat screen printing device called Print Gocco. It's basically a very easy method of screen printing and we've been using it for printing most of the artwork we've released so far. We've also used stamps and carved plates.

For the actual material component of the sleeves, we often use a basic unglued recycled cardboard sleeve that we buy in bulk from Stumptown Printers. These are high quality sleeves and environmentally friendly, as well. We've also made jackets from scratch out of thin cardboard. We even made promo packaging out of brown paper bags, once.

Do any of your artists/customers complain that they don't get fancy (crappy) jewel cases in shrink wrap?

No. The closest thing to a complaint that we've ever received was an e-mail that simply said "fuckface". What I wouldn't give to know what that was all about. Maybe it was because we don't have any jewel cases in shrink wrap for sale.

In all seriousness, though, I don't think many people actually like jewel cases in shrink wrap. It's just what we're used to. Of course, we just throw the shrink wrap away. At Grinding Tapes, we normally either try to just skip the shrink wrap or put the album in a reusable plastic sleeve so we're at least not needlessly wasting some plastic.

What is GTRC's goal?

GTRC is pretty much all about the concept. We want to put out socially relevant music with the ultimate goal of improving the world as a whole. While that might sound pretentious, we are doing what we can in our own modest way. We traditionally donate a substantial portion of the sale price of any album to an accredited charity of the artist's choice. We also use recycled materials in our packaging whenever possible. We hope that we are setting a good example for other small labels and we are proud to be part of an increasingly prominent social consciousness in the Boston independent music scene.

Neck Thing!

The Candy Thief's Funky Felt Collar
On-Sale @ Etsy for $35

Is it a scarf? Who knows! Who cares! It's awesome. Also check out The Candy Thief's felt hair clips, brooches, and even a few things for the guys.

John Vanderslice Wants You to Play Bass or Sing!

Barsuk Record's own John Vanderslice, who is also notable in that he and his Tiny Telephone recording studio are responsible
for recording half of the Northeast's indie rock bands, (see old Deathcab, Mates of States, etc...) posted on his site that he is looking for bassists to bring a bass and play along on two selected songs. The songs are Me and My 424 (A song about the workhorse of 4-track recording machines) and My Old Flame. Both are off of his 2002 release Life and Death of an American Four Tracker.

You may be thinking, Come on! I thought this was about true DIYers! JV is popular! Popular he may be my friend, but he still embodies the DIY spirit. For the release of 2005's Pixel Revolt he traveled the country playing for free in bookstores, galleries, and teeny venues. He didn't even bring merch. Doesn't get more punk rock than that.
For more info check JV's site.

Introduction

WHO THIS IS FOR:

...And You, and You, and You is the first blog that I know of that is concerned with both the indie music and the emerging indie craft scene. If you are here because you were interested in the indie music part of the blog you may be wondering what the indie craft scene is. Simply put it is a fast growing, tight knit group of DIYers (Do it Yourself), mostly women, who make useful (generally at least) things by hand. Only in the past few years has the indie craft scene blown up. For examples of just how huge it is check out The Bizarre Bazaar Boston, a gigantic, one day, punk rock marketplace that draws in thousands of shoppers and hundreds of vendors. Also check out Etsy.com, an online marketplace that boasts over 100,000 members.

Within indie craft there is no defining product or style. The products are as individual as the people behind them. You may find fine sterling silver jewelry, or lamps made from cocktail umbrellas, quirky leaf shaped scarves, or glassware etched with traditional sailor tattoos. The important thing is the DIY ethics.

Of course we all know what indie music is, and we could probably argue about what is or isn't until our fingers fall off from typing too much. We'll leave that to countless other blogs though. Instead we're concerned with the DIY ethics that so many indie artists have also adopted.

The types of bands that we'll report on here are bands that are creating a scene in their own neighborhoods, or who prefer to silkscreen their shirts themselves, or recorded their last album on a 4-track, or anyone who is still undeniably connected to the gears and cranks that keep their music business alive. This is not to say that some of the artists we applaud won't have clean recordings and faces. We just need to find some spark of punk rock attitude in them.

WHY: (Food & Wine)

I believe that we connect with art because it touches us on a philosophical level. We identify with different periods, styles, or genres because of core beliefs, dare I call it personal truths. For instance, angry people like angry music.

If we follow this line of thought it would seem clear that two artists in different mediums with the same ideals would have a good chance of making something that the other would enjoy. Similar world views - similar taste in art. And this is why this blog is here, hopefully to cross pollinate audiences. You choose the meal, and we'll recommend a wine to compliment.