Interview with Apache Dropout

It had to be in early 2011 when I first listened to Apache Dropout. At the time, I was in college at Duke and was digging my fingers into anything that even had the scent of garage rock wafting from it. The greatest thing about being a multi-tasking English major was honing the ability to read and listen to music at the same time, thereby allowing me to soak in information from two different sources at once. I always had a bare-bones living situation with a bed, a chair, and then my turntable and record collection. Chaz from Bull City Records turned me on to Apache Dropout after one of my extended listening sessions. Chaz would always put on an assortment of records he thought I'd dig sometimes for hours at a time, but it was very much appreciated. I think everyone in the Triangle Area dug hard into this band pretty much immediately - I think I remember them playing the Casbah with Last Year's Men, another great band that should be listened to.

After I moved to Chicago, Bill and Lisa Roe of Trouble in Mind put out the band's great sophomore record Bubblegum Graveyard, a more poppy affair in my opinion, but equally great. Also, this record clearly has an example of Undead Jughead before the Afterlife with Archie comic existed. Coincidence? Stay tuned, sportsfans. I got the cassette release of Bubblegum Graveyard and used to walk my sales route listening to this on my walkman when I was a beer salesman. It definitely made the cold Chicago winter a bit easier to deal with.

The band is now putting out their third full-length album Heavy Window on Magnetic South, the Bloomington label headed up by Seth Mahern of Apache Dropout and John Dawson of Thee Open Sex. The first 500 copies of the record feature glow-in-the-dark eyes so you know you need to get one of those copies. Toss these guys a "like" on Facebook too so the world knows you're cool.

Jordan Reyes: I've always been curious about Bloomington just because there are so many great bands that come from there, including people currently or previously on your roster like yourselves, Thee Open Sex, Circuit Des Yeux, and Thee Tsunamis. TV Ghost is also a totally standout band in my opinion. I know that it's a college town, but is there much overlap from the people who go to school there and the bands that come out of Bloomington?

Seth Mahern: There's certainly some bands in town that have university students.  Most bands seem to have more graduates or dropouts.  TV Ghost is from Laffayette, Indiana.

JR: Do you think you guys would ever move from Bloomington?

SM: There's been talk. Who knows? Sonny Blood already did. He's been living in Indianapolis for a year now.

JR: Magnetic South puts out a ton of different kinds of records. I've heard noise, rock, and punk from the label. Do you think any one thing in particular links the kinds of releases that come from the label?

SM: It’s all music that John Dawson and I like. That's the only requirement.

JR: You guys just released Heavy Window on Magnetic South in an edition of 1000 copies. I know Trouble in Mind put out a couple pressings of Bubblegum Graveyard and you guys put out a cassette version, but is 1000 copies the largest single pressing that you guys have done?

SM: This is the biggest pressing that Magnetic South has done.  Apache Dropout's self-titled LP and Bubblegum Graveyard were pressed in similar amounts, I believe. For the "Magnetic Heads" LP, Family Vineyard pressed 500.

JR: How does the writing and recording of Heavy Window compare to the three full-lengths that came before it?

SM: You'd have to talk to Sonny about the song-writing process.  For the recording, we spent fair amount more time getting the "sounds.” This is also the first record we've released that was recorded in stereo. That's been in the plan since we were recording our first record. When we were first starting the band we made a lot of decisions concerning future aesthetics.

Sonny Blood: Heavy Window contains our most paranoid material to date, which is influenced by the house I was living in at the time.  Before we moved in, the house was central to the local activist/anarchist community and when we signed the lease some of our friends were like, "Don't live there, that place is bugged!"  Soon we started seeing unmarked vans cruising the block and FBI agents knocking on the door to ask, "Does so-and-so still live at this residence?"  It was hard to abide in my shady lifestyle, but my personal life at the time was even worse so I decided to let the paranoids in the door, embracing paranoia because it's actually easier to deal with than loss and trauma.  It was almost like living in a fantastic conspiracy theory, which is the theme of the record, if there is one.

JR: Do you think that songwriting gets easier as you write more songs? Or do you begin to run out of options?

SM: I haven't personally written a song since the last Lord Fyre recording session in 2008. Maybe I ran out of options. Honestly not really sure.

SB: I could project an algorithm to describe my songwriting habits, but I think that would miss the point. Inspiration is the most important thing, and how you find inspiration depends on your life and how you live it.  Sometimes the window is open, sometimes it's closed. The muse is wild and mysterious and I honestly recommend Goddess worship as the only sustainable means of staying in touch with your inspiration.  Light a candle, take the sacrament and open your mind as wide as it will go.  Writing songs has made it easier for me to open my mind, but I don't know if it's made it easier for me to write more songs.  The songs just happen.

JR: I know that Mikey Young of Total Control previously mastered Bubblegum Graveyard. Were there people in other projects involved in Heavy Window (I know John Dawson recorded it)?

SM: It was mastered by Paul Mahern. John Terrill AKA the Mad Monk plays additional percussion on the record. He was also involved in the design.

JR: I am personally a big fan of things that glow in the dark. It's a totally underrated aesthetic choice. I'm glad that you guys used it in the first 500 copies of your record. How did you decide on the album cover and the glow in the dark eyes?

SM: I saw an advertisement in a '50s drag racing magazine that said "weird eyes glow in the dark". I made a xerox of it and hung it on my bedroom wall for a couple of years.  Pretty sure the idea is growth of that ad and a bunch of other ideas.

JR: You guys are about to go on a pretty substantial tour around the country. Are there any bands that you are particularly excited to play with? Are there any places you always stop when touring?

SM: We always go on a big tour when we release an LP. Another decision made from the beginning. We're very excited to be playing with Kid Congo Powers, and Psychic Baos. We just played with Danny and the Darleans last week. That was a dream come true.

SB: I'm very excited to play with Kid Congo Powers in Brooklyn.  We are playing at Cropped Out Fest with Obnox, the Sun Ra Arkestra and the legendary Belgian Waffles!!

JR: What do you guys typically listen to or do in the car while touring?

SM: We mostly listen to Flaming Groovies and the "Songs Lux and Ivy Talked About" compilations.  I personally can't really read in a moving vehicle. So I spend a lot of time watching the beautiful country-side. Sonny read a lot of conspiracy texts and Nathan does a lot of studying of Indian ragas.

SB: We really like to listen to the Rolling Stones.  I read a lot when I'm traveling, and some of the books I've read on the road have inspired our songs -- stuff like Arthur Machen, HP Lovecraft, William Burroughs, Nick Tosches, anything sci-fi, and especially any book about the Rolling Stones.  We all read Keith Richard's Life together on tour, and AE Hotchner's Blown Away: The Rolling Stones and the Death of the Sixties.  I'm hoping the boys will read Marianne Faithfull's autobiography on this tour, because it's one of the best books on the Stones and also she is the greatest and I love her.

JR: Are you guys working on any other releases either as Apache Dropout or anything else?

SM: More Apache Dropout releases coming at some point I'm sure.  And a pile of new stuff coming out on Magnetic South Recordings. Working on archive releases from Nevermores and Zero Boys.  And new stuff from Psychic Baos, The Hemingers, and Thee Tsunamis.  Not to mention plans to open a Magnetic South store in Bloomington this fall. I've got my work cut out for me.

SB: We will be road-testing some new Dropout songs on this tour which we might be recording sometime soon.  I'm the guy in the band who's always working on 1,000 side projects.  I've been quietly self-releasing party-psych tape collages under the name the Exploding Head Scene and working on a new band the Submarine, which explores heavy deep-sea baroque psych.  I've been playing bass with a mysterious young ripper name Chives, out of Indianapolis. There are also some great recordings in the can by the Sitar Outreach Ministry (featuring all members of Apache Dropout) which should be coming out sometime on Family Vineyard.

JR: Anything else you'd like to say?

SM: Can't think of anything.

SB: Riot!

Interview with Bill & Lisa from Trouble in Mind Records

Trouble in Mind Logo

Bill and Lisa are expecting a baby soon.  As in probably this month.  But it didn't stop them from putting out kick-ass records or responding to this interview - they ended up doing both.  I've been a big fan of Trouble In Mind Records for a while - they ended up putting out the amazing Mikal Cronin LP of 2011 and got me into France's Limiñanas, and don't forget about that amazing four-way split they did for record store day.  Unreal.  And Bill even works at Permanent Records on top of that.  They're totally rooted into pop songs, which is something that I especially appreciate.  They put out a LOT of 7"s, which are always really cool and also a bunch of really cool LP's like that Limiñanas one I mentioned earlier and the Paperhead LP.  I really enjoy their releases and the way that they package their records.

You can learn about their business HERE

There's not a whole lot that I can say that they don't answer in the interview so I'm going to let them talk and I'm not going to say anything more.

Jordan:  How long have y'all been in Chicago?

Bill: I have lived here since 1992 - I moved here from Weatherford, Tx to go to college at The Art Institute of Chicago...
Lisa: I moved here in 2001 from Columbus, Ohio.

Jordan:  Do you have much of a focus on local acts?

Bill: I don't know if I'd say we "focus" on local acts - we just release music by bands that we love, first & foremost no matter where they're from. We just released the second awesome album by local band Hollows called 'Vulture'.

Paperhead LP Cover

Jordan:  Do you get to work with Chicago record shops like reckless often?

Bill: Well, I work at Permanent Records so if we work with any one record store more often than another it would be Permanent. Great store! I shopped there even before I worked there. A couple of bands we've released have done instore performances there (Moonhearts, Ty Segall, Limiñanas, Night Beats, Apache Dropout, Mikal Cronin). 
Lisa: Our hearts belong to Permanent but Reckless definitely supports the label too and the staff there is super nice, especially to Ronnie so that is cool.

Jordan:  What role do you think you all play in the Chicago music scene?

Bill: That's a difficult question to really answer ourselves. It's almost like asking a band "what do you sound like?", because the role you play (or whatever) could seem different to you & to someone else. I hope we have some sort of impact on the local scene, be it from releasing great local acts, or releasing a record that people love, listen to & draw inspiration from.

Jordan:  When did you start the label?

Bill: the label started in August of 2009 with (what would prove to be) our old band CoCoComa's last single "Ask, Don't Tell". We actually had plans to release The White Wires' "Pretty Girl" single (TIM002) first, but we thought since our band had some sort of a name out there (being on Goner Records & all) that it would help build a nest egg to release more records... it did, & here we are...

Jordan:  How did you and your wife decide to start the label?

Bill: Our band had just gone on hiatus & Lisa was pregnant with our first child, Ronnie - we were unsure if the band would continue after she was born, so in our minds starting a small label seemed like a way of sorts to keep music in our life. Not sure if that was a romantic or idealistic (or naive) notion...but it made sense at the time. It very quickly became bigger than we'd anticipated, so that was a nice surprise.

Limiñanas Cover

Jordan:  Your website says you believe in the 2.5 minute song.  That's awesome.  I believe it too.  But what did that belief come out of?

Bill: I guess it was just a mission statement I made up (or needed to have) when we started the label. We just wanted to focus more on the MUSIC. That's why our singles come in "company sleeves"... no band artwork, no pretty pictures to distract you or influence your opinion on the music contained therein. All you have to go on are the tunes. But I really think that the 45rpm single is a powerful medium. It's the ideal & ultimate statement a band can make - You have 2 to 4 minutes per side to make your case. When it works - it's fucking awesome.

Jordan:  Is that a central belief to releasing records on the label?

Bill: Lisa & I have to agree on each thing we release 100%... if there's any doubt from either person, then we don't do it. We need to be able to stand by & believe in everything we release.

Lisa: the 100% vote thing is one of the toughest parts of doing the label together because there have been times that one of us is really sold on something and the other just doesn't hear it...ultimately, I think we'd both agree that even though it causes a little momentary tension sometimes, it's been for the best.

Jordan:  How do you determine who you release on the label?  Do you go for a certain style?

Bill: We just keep our eyes & ears open. When we hear something we like - we pay attention. Again - we don't look for any particular style or genre really, just music we love. Our tastes align with a very small segment of the general populace, but we're grateful for those people, because they buy vinyl & have great taste!

Lisa: I really feel like there is a common thread through all the releases though some may be more strictly pop or psychedelic, they all speak to us somehow and we hope that the folks that consistently buy our records hear it too.

The Awesome 4-way Split 7"

Jordan:  What is yalls background in music?  Were/are you in bands or has it always been a releasing thing?

Bill: I've played in bands of a serious & not-so-serious nature since I was about 18 years old... CoCoComa was our band we started together after we were married in 2004. It started out as a duo (Lisa on guitar & myself on drums & lead vocals), but we added our friend Mike Fitzpatrick soon after whom I played with in a band called The Latest & Lisa played with in their awesome band, Headache City. Lisa & I actually met at a show one of my bands (Stag Party) was playing.

Lisa: I was raised on music. My parents owned a record store and have some pretty insane stories about their pasts in the music scene in Cleveland in the 70's.  I started playing in bands in my mid-twenties.

Jordan:  How do you do the whole putting out of music thing?   Do you basically do one release at a time or are there ever contracts?

Bill: Not sure what you mean by "how do you do it"... I guess we just researched how it was done & then just dove in head-first. That tends to be how we work (with the label & in life). We decide on something & just go for it. We were very fortunate to have had a few connections & friends that ran labels who were VERY helpful & informative. Brian from Douchemaster & Kevin from Dusty Medical Records in particular were EXTREMELY honest & open with me & all my dumb questions about seemingly obvious stuff. As for releases, we do have contracts for the full-length LPs. It's (in our minds) the most "artist friendly" contract we could muster. We tend to release our music in "batches" - 2-4 releases at a time. It helps each release sell the other. People are very open to buying multiple things to save on shipping. I'm the same way.

Jordan:  What do you all do outside of releasing records?

Bill: well aside from wrangling our 3 year old daughter Ronnie, I work at Permanent Records.
Lisa: we had our second kid a few weeks ago and that has been pretty time consuming, trying to adjust to life on small chunks of sleep.

Bill & Lisa Roe with Baby

Jordan:  Do you have any favorite bands right now?  (not on your label so as not to step on toes haha)

Bill: a few of my recent digs that we didn't release anything by; White Fence, Royal Headache, OBN IIIs, Radar Eyes, Bitchin' Bajas, Cheap Time, Total Control, The Twerps, UV Race, Straight Arrows (been on a serious Australia/New Zealand kick lately)... older stuff: Faust, Cluster, Flower Travellin' Band, Wire (for probably the 4th time in my life), The Clean, The Bats, The Byrds, Harry Nilsson, Soft Boys, Del Shannon
Lisa: Alla what Bill said plus I like the Spacin' record which I know Bill likes too.

Jordan:  What do you think about the trend in the releasing of music and the money from it?

Bill: well I dunno who you've talked to, but there's not really any money to be made releasing records. We both still have to work day-jobs full time. Seems like it's always been that way, at least in the genre(s) that we operate in. If you're doing this to make money, then you're in the wrong business.

Lisa: I think we're just happy that the label pretty much pays for itself at this point.

Jordan:  What about the trends in music?  Is there such a thing?

Bill: I'm not sure what the question is.

Lisa: I mean to the extent that everyone is all of a sudden into shoegaze again or psych or whatever, there do tend to be curious cycles that come and go but, yeah, what's the question exactly?

Jordan:  Are your kids going to be real rock n rollers?

Bill: HA! We'll see. The running joke is that one or both will end up a Republican or something. I just hope they at least appreciate & listen to music of some sort, whether we like it or not. Ronnie asked for a "blue drumset" for Christmas this past year, so we got her one... she plays it almost every day. Her favorite band is The Monkees - she can name them all by first & last name. It's funny & cute & weird. She's the best. Not sure what our son will be like - we'll see!

Mikal Cronin LP Cover

Jordan:  What can we look forward to in the future of the label?

Bill: More records, more records, more records! This summer we'll be releasing the second (awesome) album from Bloomington, IN's Apache Dropout called "Bubblegum Graveyard", as well as amazing singles from Melbourne, Australia's Woollen Kits, Chicago's Marble Vanity, & this guy Jacco Gardner from The Netherlands - he makes this truly amazing baroque psych-pop... we're stoked for all of it!

Lisa: And we just confirmed a new LP with MMOSS from New Hampshire which is soooooo great. We're very very excited to get to release it.  That will hopefully come out this fall along with the second Paperhead LP.  


Jordan:  Anything else to say?

Bill: Trouble In Mind Records: Cop it, don't swap it!